While Themistocles had been speaking to Tisamenus, Aristides had approached. He too laid a hand on the rostrum. Themistocles dropped his and bent his head close over the noise of the crowd, a clamour still swelling as men struggled to be heard.

‘Will you speak, Aristides?’ Themistocles said. ‘What damage will you do, before kings of Macedon and Sparta?’ He smiled as he spoke, but there was an edge to it even so.

Aristides sighed.

‘I speak for Athens, Themistocles, rather than my own glory.’

‘I find my own glory and that of Athens are much the same,’ Themistocles replied quickly.

Despite his irritation, he stepped away and gestured for Pausanias to do the same. The crowd saw Aristides standing alone at the rostrum. The noise died slowly, but as more and more heads turned, true silence fell.

16

Aristides began to speak.

‘We have heard the Persian offer … Gentlemen, allow me to respond. Are we children, to call out? Raise your hand if you wish to contribute. I will second any one of you who wishes to be heard. There. We will vote, because in Athens, the wisdom of the city does not lie in the judgement of just one man, or half a dozen ephors. In you, in this five hundred, all the ten tribes of Athens are represented. I see Acamantis, Cecropis, Aegeis, Leontis, Oeneis, Antiochis, Aeantis, Erechtheis … Pandionis there and Hippothontis. There you are! We do not represent the people; we are the people. And I will say this. I had intended to take a position against Themistocles … not for the first time.’

He waited through a dry chuckle from those who knew them.

‘It was my hope to test the proposition, to drink it to the very dregs. Because the survival of our city depends on us making the correct decision here. If we reject the offer before us, if we send this little Macedonian king back to his master with our refusal, they could march against us once more. We have all seen the results of Persians standing in Athens. We know what that means, better than anyone. Now, I will not discuss all we have planned if they return to Attica, not with all the ears in this room. Yet you must understand this: we face destruction, annihilation . At such a time, I will not try to rouse you to anger, to cry down the Persian threat, to damn them and dare them to come.’

Despite his words, there was a growl in that room. Themistocles watched in fascination. He knew Aristides only as the driest of speakers. On that night, for the first time, he plucked their strings. Themistocles could feel each note resound in that place. He saw Xanthippus and Cimon were watching in awe as Aristides went on.